Article summary: Kuhne, et al. 2012. Effects of human-dog familiarity on dogs’ behavioural responses to petting. Applied Animal Behaviour Sciences 142, 176-181.
Humans communicate effectively with dogs through many channels, including visual (gazing, gestures), sound (whistles, barks, words), and touch (petting). People often show affection by petting or holding the dog, but physical contact can mean something different when dogs communicate with one another. Contact is typically used to maintain existing relationships among familiar dogs, or to challenge or threaten a potential—often unfamiliar—rival. In this study, Kuhne et al. wanted to see if dogs react differently when petted by familiar and unfamiliar people.
Many studies have demonstrated that petting a dog has positive effects on the person’s physiology and immune system. For some dogs petting may be a positive reinforcer, but for many dogs being pet is a stressor, especially when the dog is restrained in some way or disturbed from resting. Some kinds of touch can also mirror dominance challenges--such as standing (looming) over the dog, placing an arm or hand over the dog’s back, holding the dog’s muzzle or neck, and slamming, pushing, or pinning the dog--that can trigger defensive reactions.
Dogs try to ease tensions and reduce conflict by giving appeasement gestures. These early signs of stress include yawning, nose licking, averting their gaze, or head turning. Many people are oblivious to these subtle signals and may persist in petting. The dog might then show escalated stress responses to conflict or frustration, including redirected behaviors (sniffing or licking an object, increased activity) and displacement activities (licking or scratching own body, mounting, body shaking, stretching). In extreme cases, a dog may become aggressive by growling, snapping, or even biting.
In their study, Kuhne, et al. looked at the reaction of 24 dogs that were pet or held by a familiar or an unfamiliar person. Each dog was pet on the shoulder, chest, neck, head, and tail, and mildly constrained by holding the paw or collar, putting a hand on the muzzle, and held in a laying position. Consistent with other studies, the dogs generally did not like being pet on the top of the head, or having their paws and hind legs touched. Importantly, the dogs were also more likely to communicate with a familiar person than with an unfamiliar person; they gave more intense appeasement gestures toward the familiar person for most kinds of touches, and they showed longer and more frequent redirected behavior toward the familiar person when held by the collar or muzzle. Dogs were also more likely to seek close contact with a familiar person when pet on the head or touched on the muzzle. The authors suggest that the dog’s effort to communicate in response to touch might be an indicator of the strength of the human-canine relationship, but that further research is needed to test this idea.
© 2012 Robin Foster
Many studies have demonstrated that petting a dog has positive effects on the person’s physiology and immune system. For some dogs petting may be a positive reinforcer, but for many dogs being pet is a stressor, especially when the dog is restrained in some way or disturbed from resting. Some kinds of touch can also mirror dominance challenges--such as standing (looming) over the dog, placing an arm or hand over the dog’s back, holding the dog’s muzzle or neck, and slamming, pushing, or pinning the dog--that can trigger defensive reactions.
Dogs try to ease tensions and reduce conflict by giving appeasement gestures. These early signs of stress include yawning, nose licking, averting their gaze, or head turning. Many people are oblivious to these subtle signals and may persist in petting. The dog might then show escalated stress responses to conflict or frustration, including redirected behaviors (sniffing or licking an object, increased activity) and displacement activities (licking or scratching own body, mounting, body shaking, stretching). In extreme cases, a dog may become aggressive by growling, snapping, or even biting.
In their study, Kuhne, et al. looked at the reaction of 24 dogs that were pet or held by a familiar or an unfamiliar person. Each dog was pet on the shoulder, chest, neck, head, and tail, and mildly constrained by holding the paw or collar, putting a hand on the muzzle, and held in a laying position. Consistent with other studies, the dogs generally did not like being pet on the top of the head, or having their paws and hind legs touched. Importantly, the dogs were also more likely to communicate with a familiar person than with an unfamiliar person; they gave more intense appeasement gestures toward the familiar person for most kinds of touches, and they showed longer and more frequent redirected behavior toward the familiar person when held by the collar or muzzle. Dogs were also more likely to seek close contact with a familiar person when pet on the head or touched on the muzzle. The authors suggest that the dog’s effort to communicate in response to touch might be an indicator of the strength of the human-canine relationship, but that further research is needed to test this idea.
© 2012 Robin Foster